Washington - US prosecutors charged 11 environmental and animal rights activists with arson and other acts of 'domestic terrorism' that caused millions of dollars in damages, federal justice officials said Friday in broadcast remarks.

The suspects, identified as members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Animal Liberation Front, were indicted Thursday for arson and using destructive devices on targets including a police department, a forest ranger station and facilities in the Vail, Colorado, ski resort.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Robert Mueller called the suspects 'ecoterrorists'.

'Terrorism is terrorism, no matter what the motive,' Mueller said at a news conference in Washington. 'There is a difference between constitutional protected advocacy and violent criminal activity.'

The charges also included conspiracy, attempted arson and destruction of an energy facility.

Eight suspects were arrested before the indictment and three are believed to be outside of the United States, the officials said.

On its website, the Earth Liberation Front distanced itself from those charged, saying it had not 'encorsed, encouraged or approved' the violent actions and that it had no 'membership'.

'Any individuals who committed arson or any other illegal acts under the ELF name are individuals who choose to do so under the banner of ELF and do so only driven by their personal conscience,' ELF said.

The 17 attacks took place in five states between 1996 and 2001, where the targets also included a high tension power line and meat processing companies in Oregon. Wyoming, Washington and California saw similar attacks.

Some investigations went on for over 10 years, officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said.

The defendants allegedly used improvised incendiary devices made from milk jugs, petroleum products and homemade timers in their attacks.

In October 1998, fires in Vail destroyed a mountaintop restaurant, several chairlifts, and other buildings and shelters causing some 12 million dollars in damage.

The week before the attack a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by environmentalists seeking an injunction against a planned expansion of the resort.

'The trail of destruction left by these defendants across the western United States caused millions of dollars in damages to public and private facilities,' said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

Like Jesse said today, who are the real eco-terrorists. Bush and co. want to destroy this earth as quickly as possible and they have the police and courts to back them up as the legitimate capitalists just doing another days work. As Jesse put it -

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This morning on CNN there was a report about “environmental terrorists” being charged by the Department of Justice for crimes they had committed over the past few years. CNN kept harping on the term “environmental terrorists” when referring to the people being charged. Let me set the record straight…these people may have committed crimes and may well be criminals but they were committing crimes AGAINST “environmental terrorists”.

Environmental terrorists are people or organizations who terrorize the environment. It is the big ugly factory that is pouring toxic chemicals into our rivers that is the environmental terrorist. The person who tries to stop this terrorism may be committing a crime in the process but is in no way a terrorist. Let’s get that straight once and for all.

Whose side is CNN on when they ignore the environmental terrorism being conducted by the targets of these alleged criminals? They, along with all the corporate media are indeed on the side of the powerful corporations whose mission is to make money regardless of the damage done to our world in the process. Think about it! – Jesse, Editor, TvNewsLIES.org

Just a reminder that Jesse needs our help. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If every subscriber to this mailing list donated $1 per week our minimum financial needs would be met. If we doubled the size of our list it would only take $0.50 per week. Being financed to this point would mean that TvNewsLIES could pay for it’s overhead and any money over this amount could go towards hiring reporters and expanding the new radio program. It would also allow TvNewsLIES could repay my original investment so that I can do things like pay the rent and buy food! Just something to think about. http://tvnewslies.org/html/an_urgent_message.html

Jesse is not an eco-terrorist and he is not a corporate gopher. Help him and this site to survive. Dig deep. This fighting for truth and justice just doesn't pay like lobbying for coal fired generators or nuclear war technologies and raping the land does.

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Dig deep and send in those dead presidents.

_________________Completely sane world
madness the only freedom

An ability to see both sides of a question
one of the marks of a mature mind